Conor Foley | The Guardianhttps://www.theguardian.com/profile/conorfoley
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Brazilians want to be treated as citizens | Conor Foleyhttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/jun/19/brazil-protests-citizens
The protests may be ambiguous, but they spring from a broadly felt dissatisfaction with the state of Brazil's politics<p>Perhaps the most politically significant moment in the two weeks of popular protests that have shaken Brazil came at the opening ceremony for the Confederations Cup last Saturday. In Brasilia's brand new football stadium, the crowd rose to their feet, turned their backs on the national team and <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-22947466" title="">loudly booed the president, Dilma Rousseff</a>.</p><p>It was not exactly a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWIbCtz_Xwk" title="">Nicolae Ceausescu moment</a>, and talk of a <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/kenrapoza/2013/06/16/brazilian-spring-probably-not/" title="">"Brazilian spring" is overblown</a> – but the crowd's reaction shows a dissatisfaction with Brazilian politics that was latent until now.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/jun/19/brazil-protests-citizens">Continue reading...</a>BrazilAmericasWorld newsProtestTurkeyWed, 19 Jun 2013 12:53:10 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/jun/19/brazil-protests-citizensPhotograph: Imago / Barcroft MediaBrazilian demonstrators in Sao Paolo protest against price increases of public transport and government spending on this year's football Confederations Cup and World Cup next year. Photograph: Imago/Barcroft MediaPhotograph: Imago / Barcroft MediaBrazilian demonstrators in Sao Paolo protest against price increases of public transport and government spending on this year's football Confederations Cup and World Cup next year. Photograph: Imago/Barcroft MediaConor Foley2013-06-19T12:53:10ZThe lies about aid and Afghanistan | Conor Foleyhttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/sep/28/afghanistan-intervention-schools-closure
The closure of British-built Afghan schools is a reminder of how the public has been misled about the west's intervention<p>The news that the British have built far more schools and hospitals in Helmand province <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/sep/27/afghan-schools-clinics-built-british-close" title="">than the government of Afghanistan can afford to run</a>, exposes a lie about our intervention in that country that is in many ways as insidious as the lies that surrounded the invasion of Iraq.</p><p>Afghanistan was always different from Iraq, both in terms of legal authority and in the manner in which the intervention was carried out. Most significantly, Afghanistan was not "invaded" by the west. Or if an invasion took place, it happened in 2006 or else in 2009.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/sep/28/afghanistan-intervention-schools-closure">Continue reading...</a>AfghanistanWorld newsDefence policyPoliticsMilitaryUK newsAidSocietyGlobal developmentJohn ReidPolitics pastUS newsUS foreign policyFri, 28 Sep 2012 17:30:02 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/sep/28/afghanistan-intervention-schools-closurePhotograph: Tony Karumba/AFP/Getty ImagesTwo US soldiers and an Afghan colleague (right) in Daman district, Kandahar. Photograph: Tony Karumba/AFP/Getty ImagesPhotograph: Tony Karumba/AFP/Getty ImagesTwo US soldiers and an Afghan colleague (right) in Daman district, Kandahar. Photograph: Tony Karumba/AFP/Getty ImagesConor Foley2012-09-28T17:30:02ZBrazil's big challenge ahead of Rio 2016 | Conor Foleyhttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/aug/26/brazilians-approach-rio-2016-doubt
Stalled reform has dented the country's self-confidence. There's much to be done before the Olympics come around<p>Many Brazilians watched the closing ceremony of the London Olympics with trepidation. "Do you think we will be able to manage anything more than a couple of carnival floats, some football and traffic jams?" mused one of my friends.</p><p>It is a few years since I have heard such expressions of national self-doubt. When I first arrived in Brazil, almost 10 years ago, the country had just elected its first leftwing president, Luiz Inácio "Lula" da Silva. Both the currency and stock exchange were in freefall as investors took fright. There had been an attempted coup against Hugo Chávez in Venezuela the previous year and the pride of my Brazilian friends – who were mainly members of Lula's Workers' party – was mixed with some anxiety.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/aug/26/brazilians-approach-rio-2016-doubt">Continue reading...</a>Rio 2016BrazilLuiz Inácio Lula da SilvaDilma RousseffWorld newsOlympic GamesSun, 26 Aug 2012 19:30:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/aug/26/brazilians-approach-rio-2016-doubtPhotograph: Ricardo Moraes/REUTERSThe Olympic flag flies in front of the Christ the Redeemer statue during a blessing ceremony in Rio earlier this month. Photograph: Ricardo Moraes/REUTERSPhotograph: Ricardo Moraes/REUTERSThe Olympic flag flies in front of the Christ the Redeemer statue during a blessing ceremony in Rio earlier this month. Photograph: Ricardo Moraes/REUTERSConor Foley2012-08-26T19:30:00ZWelcome to Brazil's version of 'responsibility to protect' | Conor Foleyhttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2012/apr/10/diplomacy-brazilian-style
Arguments for and against intervention in Syria follow a wearying pattern, but Brazil offers a breath of fresh air in a multipolar world<p>It is difficult to follow the current debate about "<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/jan/01/nick-cohen-intervene-in-syria" title="">humanitarian intervention</a>" in Syria without being struck by the wearying familiarity of so many of the arguments. Virtually the same points knocked back and forth last year, <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/mar/03/libya-escalating-drama-case-liberal-intervention" title="">over Libya</a>, and before that over Darfur, and then a list of crises stretching back to Rwanda and Bosnia-Herzegovina in the mid-1990s.</p><p>What is also striking is how its protagonists routinely talk past one another, assuming the worst possible motives of their opponents and rarely acknowledging the other side might occasionally have a point. If you are opposed to an intervention – no matter how impractical or counter-productive – you are a cowardly appeasing, racist who does not care about suffering in the affected country. If you support it – in any circumstances – you are a neocon imperialist with the <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/4440664.stm" title="">white phosphorous of Fallujah</a> on your hands.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2012/apr/10/diplomacy-brazilian-style">Continue reading...</a>BrazilSyriaMiddle East and North AfricaWorld newsAmericasUnited NationsForeign policyPoliticsTue, 10 Apr 2012 17:40:21 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2012/apr/10/diplomacy-brazilian-stylePhotograph: Jim Lo Scalzo/EPAPresident Dilma Rousseff of Brazil meets with President Barack Obama in the Oval Office of the White House, Washington, DC, USA. Photograph: Jim Lo Scalzo/EPAPhotograph: Jim Lo Scalzo/EPAPresident Dilma Rousseff of Brazil meets with President Barack Obama in the Oval Office of the White House, Washington, DC, USA. Photograph: Jim Lo Scalzo/EPAConor Foley2012-04-10T17:40:21ZHonduras's horrific prison fire was a tragedy waiting to happen | Conor Foleyhttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2012/feb/16/honduras-prison-fire-tragedy
Overcrowding and abysmal living conditions: the fire underlines the urgency of prison reform in Latin America<p>The <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/feb/15/honduras-prison-fire-kills-dozens" title="">horrific fire</a> in a prison in Honduras that killed more than 350 people was a tragedy waiting to happen. As anyone who has ever <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2009/dec/12/brazil-prisons-crime-rio-murder" title="">set foot in a prison in Latin America</a> can testify, they are vastly overcrowded and understaffed, and many are effectively under the control of criminal gangs. To quote one recent report:</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2012/feb/16/honduras-prison-fire-tragedy">Continue reading...</a>HondurasPrisons and probationBrazilAmericasThu, 16 Feb 2012 15:53:45 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2012/feb/16/honduras-prison-fire-tragedyPhotograph: Str/AFP/Getty ImagesJaime William Enriques, 54, one of the inmates injured in the fire at the prison in Comayagua Photograph: Str/AFP/Getty ImagesPhotograph: Str/AFP/Getty ImagesJaime William Enriques, 54, one of the inmates injured in the fire at the prison in Comayagua Photograph: Str/AFP/Getty ImagesConor Foley2012-02-16T15:53:45ZThe threat to Britain's aid | Conor Foleyhttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/nov/23/britain-aid-risk-fraud
It's brave and logical of the government to increase aid to conflict-afflicted states, but the risk of fraud is greater than ever<p>International development aid was once defined to me as money given by poor people in rich countries to rich people in poor ones.</p><p>The majority of the "bottom billion" of the world's population live in Africa, which, until buoyed by the recent commodity boom, had seen an absolute decline in most of its indicators of human development. Donors are estimated to have sunk well over $500bn into the continent in recent decades with no discernible result on poverty reduction.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/nov/23/britain-aid-risk-fraud">Continue reading...</a>AidGlobal developmentAfricaSocietyWorld newsWed, 23 Nov 2011 10:30:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/nov/23/britain-aid-risk-fraudPhotograph: A Majeed/AFP/Getty ImagesAndrew Mitchell, the development secretary, at a camp for Pakistan flood victims last year. Photograph: A Majeed/Getty ImagesPhotograph: A Majeed/AFP/Getty ImagesAndrew Mitchell, the development secretary, at a camp for Pakistan flood victims last year. Photograph: A Majeed/Getty ImagesConor Foley2011-11-23T10:30:00ZThe west's gift to Mugabe | Conor Foleyhttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/aug/15/west-mugabe-sanctions-zanu-pf-zimbabwe
Sanctions, when portrayed by Zanu-PF as imperialism, provide a convenient excuse for the mismanagement of Zimbabwe<p>Two years on from the signing of a power-sharing agreement between President Robert Mugabe and his main political opponents, Zimbabwe faces a crunch meeting at a summit in Angola this week.</p><p>The leaders of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) have demanded a "road map" for the implementation of the agreement, including timetabled commitments for human rights and rule of law reforms and the adoption of a new constitution. This should pave the way&nbsp;for elections next year which could&nbsp;mark the country's return to democracy after decades of authoritarian rule and economic disarray.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/aug/15/west-mugabe-sanctions-zanu-pf-zimbabwe">Continue reading...</a>ZimbabweRobert MugabeMorgan TsvangiraiAfricaWorld newsForeign policyUS foreign policyPoliticsGlobal developmentMon, 15 Aug 2011 18:01:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/aug/15/west-mugabe-sanctions-zanu-pf-zimbabwePhotograph: Aaron Ufumeli/EPAZimbabwean president Robert Mugabe addresses thousands of people gathered at the National Heroes Acre in Harare last week. Photograph: Aaron Ufumeli/EPAPhotograph: Aaron Ufumeli/EPAZimbabwean president Robert Mugabe addresses thousands of people gathered at the National Heroes Acre in Harare last week. Photograph: Aaron Ufumeli/EPAConor Foley2011-08-15T18:01:00ZHow to protect humanitarian workers? | Conor Foleyhttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/apr/05/humanitarian-workers-united-nations-afghanistan
The killing of United Nations staff in Afghanistan brutally illustrates the dangers faced by aid workers in conflict zones<p>The gruesome nature of the way in which some of the United Nations staff were killed <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/apr/01/afghanistan-united-nations-killings" title="Guardian: Afghanistan: United Nations mission rocked by mob killings">when their compound was stormed in Mazar-e-Sharif</a> adds a bitter twist to the dilemmas facing the organisation. How should it protect itself and the civilians it has come to help in conflict zones?</p><p>I lived in Mazar-e-Sharif for the first three months of my time in Afghanistan in 2003. Most of our meetings were held in the UN compound and it was the main social hub for the small group of international aid workers in the city. The day I arrived there a UN guard had been killed in a factional dispute between the two main militias in the north. Security was an overwhelming concern, although viewed from today's perspective it seems like an idyll.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/apr/05/humanitarian-workers-united-nations-afghanistan">Continue reading...</a>United NationsAfghanistanWorld newsAidGlobal developmentMiddle East and North AfricaHumanitarian responseTue, 05 Apr 2011 09:00:01 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/apr/05/humanitarian-workers-united-nations-afghanistanPhotograph: Emmanuel Dunand/AFP/Getty ImagesAfghan villagers with a UN helicopter in 2004. Photograph: Emmanuel Dunand/AFP/Getty ImagesPhotograph: Emmanuel Dunand/AFP/Getty ImagesAfghan villagers with a UN helicopter in 2004. Photograph: Emmanuel Dunand/AFP/Getty ImagesConor Foley2011-04-05T09:00:01ZAid: good intentions are not enough | Conor Foleyhttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/mar/17/humanitarian-aid-good-intentions-not-enough
The international community must address the dilemmas that turn delivering humanitarian aid into in a major drama of its own<p>The claim that a <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12756366" title="BBC: Japan earthquake: UK rescue team 'foiled by red tape'">British team was prevented from delivering aid to Japan</a> because they could not secure the necessary paperwork from the British embassy in Tokyo will bring a shrug of weary recognition from many aid workers.</p><p>The International Rescue Corps (IRC) and the British Foreign Office are both blaming each other for a decision by the Japanese government not to grant the organisation permission to work in the quake-hit country.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/mar/17/humanitarian-aid-good-intentions-not-enough">Continue reading...</a>Japan disasterNatural disasters and extreme weatherJapanAidSocietyWorld newsGlobal developmentAsia PacificThu, 17 Mar 2011 17:00:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/mar/17/humanitarian-aid-good-intentions-not-enoughPhotograph: APSurvivors cook and eat in front of their damaged house in Miyagi Prefecture after Japan's massive earthquake and tsunami. Photograph: AP Photo/Kyodo NewsPhotograph: APSurvivors cook and eat in front of their damaged house in Miyagi Prefecture after Japan's massive earthquake and tsunami. Photograph: AP Photo/Kyodo NewsConor Foley2011-03-17T17:00:00ZBrazil's floods a key test for Dilma | Conor Foleyhttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2011/jan/14/brazil-dilma-rousseff
The catastrophic mudslides around Rio de Janeiro mark a critical moment for Brazil's new president, Dilma Rousseff<p>The <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/jan/14/brazil-landslides-death-toll-president">floods and landslides that have devastated part of the state of Rio de Janeiro</a> also pose a huge challenge to the country's newly-elected president, Dilma Rousseff. The official death toll is already over 500, but many are predicting the final total will be higher still. This is clearly one of the worst natural disasters in Brazilian history. Water and mud swept through the region, burying many families as they slept. Thousands have been left homeless and roads and power-lines have been swept away, hampering the rescue effort and increasing the misery of survivors.</p><p>Dilma (who is universally referred to by her first name) has been quick to organise a tour of the affected area. The government has also announced a $420m rescue package to repair infrastructure and prevent future catastrophes. Whether this will be considered an adequate response, however, remains to be seen.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2011/jan/14/brazil-dilma-rousseff">Continue reading...</a>BrazilDilma RousseffLuiz Inácio Lula da SilvaFloodingEnvironmentPovertyWorld newsNatural disasters and extreme weatherGlobal developmentFri, 14 Jan 2011 16:30:01 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2011/jan/14/brazil-dilma-rousseffPhotograph: Roberto Stuckert/EPAPresident Dilma Rousseff speaks to a rescuer in Nova Friburgo, one of the districts devastated by floods and landslides, which have claimed at least 500 lives in Brazil. Photograph: Roberto Stuckert/EPAPhotograph: Roberto Stuckert/EPAPresident Dilma Rousseff speaks to a rescuer in Nova Friburgo, one of the districts devastated by floods and landslides, which have claimed at least 500 lives in Brazil. Photograph: Roberto Stuckert/EPAConor Foley2011-01-14T16:30:01ZBookseller of Kabul author can't plead cultural immunity | Conor Foleyhttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/jul/30/norway-afghanistan
Åsne Seierstad's crass violation of Afghan values makes a mockery of her claims of insight into their society<p>The news that Åsne Seierstad, Norwegian author of The Bookseller of Kabul, has been <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/books/2010/jul/27/bookseller-kabul-author-lawsuit" title="Guardian: Brought to book: Kabul author guilty of 'betraying' a nation">successfully sued</a> by one of her book's characters will be greeted as either a blow to artistic freedom of expression or a victory for the world's misrepresented and powerless poor.</p><p>Seierstad was ordered to pay more than £26,000 in punitive damages to Suraia Rais, the second wife of Shah Muhammad Rais, with whose family she lived in Afghanistan for five months in 2002. Other family members have also announced that they will sue and the author and her publisher also face substantial legal costs. They have vowed to appeal the case all the way to the European court of human rights arguing that it sets a dangerous legal precedent.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/jul/30/norway-afghanistan">Continue reading...</a>NorwayAfghanistanBooksMiddle East and North AfricaWorld newsÅsne SeierstadEuropeFri, 30 Jul 2010 08:00:48 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/jul/30/norway-afghanistanPhotograph: Murdo MacleodÅsne Seierstad was ordered to pay more than £26,000 in punitive damages on account of details in her novel The Bookseller of Kabul. Photograph: Murdo MacleodPhotograph: Murdo MacleodÅsne Seierstad was ordered to pay more than £26,000 in punitive damages on account of details in her novel The Bookseller of Kabul. Photograph: Murdo MacleodConor Foley2010-07-30T08:00:48ZBrazil's poverty makes its aid donations both natural and surprising | Conor Foleyhttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/jul/21/brazil-aid-donations-poverty-development
An increasingly assertive Brazil is now one of the world's biggest providers of help to poor countries<p>Aid sceptics, such as William Easterly and Dambisa Moyo, have <a href="http://www.alertnet.org/db/an_art/20316/2010/04/20-083155-1.htm" title="Aid flaws highlight need for improvement not cuts - Oxfam report ">made a powerful case</a> against not only the waste and perverse impacts of many misguided projects, but also the patronising and disempowering assumptions of "northerners" seeking to shoulder a new "white man's burden".</p><p>Aid's supporters, such as Owen Barder, <a href="http://www.ia-forum.org/Files/ForumReport%20Spring2010%20Africa.pdf" title="The Forum (pdf)">point out that</a> far from showering "trillions of dollars" on Africa, the world's richest countries have given less to the continent in its entire history than they spent in one year – 2009 – on the fiscal stimulus. Over the last 20 years, he notes, total aid to sub-Saharan Africa has hovered at about $37 per person per year, compared with the $200 a year that the US invested in the citizens of postwar Europe in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshall_Plan" title="Wikipedia">Marshall plan</a>. Properly planned and effectively delivered aid works, he argues, and we should be seeking to build on its proven successes.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/jul/21/brazil-aid-donations-poverty-development">Continue reading...</a>BrazilGlobal developmentSocietyWorld newsAidAmericasWed, 21 Jul 2010 11:39:17 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/jul/21/brazil-aid-donations-poverty-developmentConor Foley2010-07-21T11:39:17ZBrazil: let down on and off the pitch | Conor Foleyhttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/jul/08/brazil-let-down-on-off-pitch
Just as Brazilians deserved better from their football team, so they do from visionless politicians in their presidential elections<p>José Serra, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Serra" title="Wikipedia: Jose Serra">the former governor of São Paulo and current candidate for the Brazilian presidency</a>, can probably empathise with his disgraced national football team. Like them, he has watched a steady advantage against a far weaker opponent gradually dissipate and then suffered a virtual implosion in his own campaign. Unless he can turn this around quickly he could even suffer a humiliating exit at the first round of voting in October.</p><p>Brazilian politics are difficult for non-Brazilians to follow, and foreign observers often reduce the political arena to a simple left-right divide. In reality, though, it would be difficult to squeeze a credit card between the politics of Serra and his opponent, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dilma_Rousseff" title="Wikipedia: Dilma Rousseff">Dilma Rousseff</a>, and one of the frustrations for many Brazilians is how little choice they are being offered by the two main blocks. Despite some of Brazil's recent social and economic improvements, it remains one of the most corrupt, violent, bureaucratic and unequal countries on earth, yet neither candidate seems to be offering anything other than a continuation of the status quo.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/jul/08/brazil-let-down-on-off-pitch">Continue reading...</a>BrazilBrazilPoliticsWorld newsAmericasThu, 08 Jul 2010 11:58:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/jul/08/brazil-let-down-on-off-pitchConor Foley2010-07-08T11:58:00ZHumanitarian narrative means no one sees Israel as a victim | Conor Foleyhttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/jun/08/humanitarian-narrative-israel
The desire for simplicity can turn complex disputes over territory and sovereignty into simple tales of good versus evil<p>It is too early to judge the full political impact of Israel's grotesquely-named Operation Sea Breeze, but it is already clear that the actions of a few hundred international activists have struck a body-blow against <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/jun/05/hamas-fatah-israel-palestine" title="Cif: Hamas must reshape itself">Israel's long-term political strategy</a> in the region.</p><p>The siege of Gaza, in part an attempt to prevent Hamas re-arming itself and in part a collective punishment of the Palestinians who voted for them, looks increasingly untenable. Hamas has been empowered <a href="http://mideast.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2010/06/03/fatah_and_hamas_are_both_taking_on_water" title="Foreign Policy: Fatah and Hamas are both taking on water">at the expense of its moderate, secular rival Fatah</a>. Israel has become the victim of the "humanitarian narrative" and its inability to grasp the importance of this in shaping contemporary international relations now poses it with an existential threat.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/jun/08/humanitarian-narrative-israel">Continue reading...</a>IsraelGazaPalestinian territoriesHamasFatahKosovoWar crimesHuman rightsEuropeHumanitarian responseTue, 08 Jun 2010 08:30:56 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/jun/08/humanitarian-narrative-israelPhotograph: Menahem Kahana/AFP/Getty ImagesIsrael has found itself increasingly friendless on the international stage in the wake of the raid on the Gaza flotilla. Photograph: Menahem Kahana/AFP/Getty ImagesPhotograph: Menahem Kahana/AFP/Getty ImagesIsrael has found itself increasingly friendless on the international stage in the wake of the raid on the Gaza flotilla. Photograph: Menahem Kahana/AFP/Getty ImagesConor Foley2010-06-08T08:30:56ZAttacking humanitarian aid with cliche | Conor Foleyhttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/may/14/humanitarian-aid-linda-polman-war-games
Of course there are problems with the aid industry, but books like Linda Polman's War Games only simplify the debate<p>The humanitarian aid industry is big business. According to the <a href=" http://www.odi.org.uk/resources/download/4835.pdf" title="ODI: Aid and war: a response to Linda Polmans critique of humanitarianism">Overseas Development Institute</a> it was worth about $18bn (£12bn) in 2008 and employed over 300,000 people – a huge increase in recent years. Aid agencies also have growing political clout, playing a leading role in shaping foreign policies of western governments towards humanitarian crises – sometimes even helping to trigger foreign military interventions.</p><p>Yet the industry is subject to very little external scrutiny, lacks accountability and <a href="http://chrisblattman.com/2009/03/20/humanitarianism-under-fire/" title="Chris Blattman: Humanitarianism under fire ">is widely believed to often do more harm than good</a>.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/may/14/humanitarian-aid-linda-polman-war-games">Continue reading...</a>Global developmentCharitiesDemocratic Republic of the CongoRwandaAfghanistanBooksAidAfricaHumanitarian responseFri, 14 May 2010 13:30:01 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/may/14/humanitarian-aid-linda-polman-war-gamesConor Foley2010-05-14T13:30:01ZSri Lanka's human rights disaster | Conor Foleyhttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/jan/07/sri-lanka-wickrematunge-human-rights
A year after the murder of Sri Lankan journalist Lasantha Manilal Wickrematunge, the country's human rights record is still poor<p>On 8 January 2009 Lasantha Manilal Wickrematunge, a prominent Sri Lankan anti-government journalist and politician and human rights activist, was murdered while on his way to work. Four gunmen riding motorcycles blocked his vehicle before breaking open his window and shooting him. He was rushed to hospital but died from his wounds. One year on, his killers have still not been brought to justice.</p><p>In a statement marking the first anniversary of Wickrematunge's death the International Bar Association (IBA) warned the human rights situation in <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/srilanka" title="Guardian: Sri Lanka">Sri Lanka</a> is still a cause for significant concern. IBA conducted a <a href="http://www.ibanet.org/Human_Rights_Institute/Work_by_regions/Asia_Pacific/Sri_Lanka.aspx" title="IBA: Sri Lanka mission">mission to Sri Lanka</a> last February which noted "a wider pattern of intimidation routinely expressed against members of civil society, including academics, aid workers and lawyers representing terrorist suspects who are perceived to be critical or challenging of the government or its policies."</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/jan/07/sri-lanka-wickrematunge-human-rights">Continue reading...</a>Sri LankaHuman rightsWorld newsLawSouth and Central AsiaThu, 07 Jan 2010 17:30:01 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/jan/07/sri-lanka-wickrematunge-human-rightsConor Foley2010-01-07T17:30:01ZFuelling the war in Brazil | Conor Foleyhttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2009/dec/12/brazil-prisons-crime-rio-murder
The unjust imprisonment of petty thieves with hardened killers provides Brazilian gangs with a steady stream of new recruits<p>Brazilians are world famous for their friendliness and so the handshakes, hugs and high fives were not unexpected. But they were not much compensation for the fact that I was locked in a room full of Command Vermelho (Red Command) prisoners – one of the deadliest armed groups in the world today – and the only guard on duty was down the other end of the corridor behind a bolted metal grill.</p><p>I was being shown around a police lock-up in Rio de Janeiro by activists from Rio da Paz (Rio of Peace) who greeted the prisoners with equal enthusiasm. There were 600 people crammed into a two-wing block, each of which contained five cells with space for about 12 bunks in each. The heat was incredible and bodies were sprawled everywhere as people took it in turn to get some rest.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2009/dec/12/brazil-prisons-crime-rio-murder">Continue reading...</a>BrazilWorld newsAmericasSat, 12 Dec 2009 18:00:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2009/dec/12/brazil-prisons-crime-rio-murderConor Foley2009-12-12T18:00:00ZBrazil and Iran must talk human rights | Conor Foleyhttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2009/nov/25/brazil-iran-un-human-rights
Brazil and Iran have called for UN reform, but President Lula has failed to press his new friend on another important issue<p>The world must engage, not isolate Iran, in the push for Middle East peace, said Brazil's President Lula after a three-hour private meeting with his Iranian counterpart, President Ahmadinejad, on Monday.</p><p>Lula also said that Brazil supports Iran's rights to enjoy what he called "the benefits of fuel and technology". But he said Iran should negotiate with western nations for a "just and balanced" solution to concerns over its nuclear programme. The two leaders also issued a <a href="http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/7db6103e-d87e-11de-b63a-00144feabdc0.html" title="FT: Iran and Brazil call for UN reform">joint call for reform of the United Nations</a>.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2009/nov/25/brazil-iran-un-human-rights">Continue reading...</a>BrazilIranUnited NationsWorld newsMahmoud AhmadinejadMiddle East and North AfricaLuiz Inácio Lula da SilvaAmericasWed, 25 Nov 2009 18:00:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2009/nov/25/brazil-iran-un-human-rightsConor Foley2009-11-25T18:00:00ZHow many more aid workers will die? | Conor Foleyhttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2009/oct/28/afghanistan-aid-workers-un
Aid is effectively being used as a bribe in Afghanistan to try to persuade people not to attack foreign troops. It's a failed strategy<p>When news comes of attacks on aid workers in Afghanistan, it is difficult to separate out personal emotions from wider thoughts about the gradual descent of the country into chaos.</p><p><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/oct/28/six-un-workers-killed-kabul-attack-afghanistan" title="">The Taliban stormed into a guest house</a> in which friends of mine will probably have been staying and, at the time of writing, I still don't know who has been killed or injured. They also rocketed a hotel in a repeat attack of a couple of years ago. It was only a week or so after that assault, when I visited Kabul, that I discovered one of my friend's had been caught in the hotel's security "air-lock" while <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2008/feb/14/theunwinnablewar" title="">her car was riddled with bullets</a>.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2009/oct/28/afghanistan-aid-workers-un">Continue reading...</a>AfghanistanUnited NationsGlobal developmentTalibanWorld newsSocietyAidWed, 28 Oct 2009 13:38:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2009/oct/28/afghanistan-aid-workers-unConor Foley2009-10-28T13:38:00ZBrazil must stop the killing | Conor Foleyhttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2009/oct/26/brazil-shoot-outs-police-corruption
The host of the 2016 Olympics must address a criminal justice policy that has failed to stop shoot-outs and police corruption<p>The last time I saw Evandro da Silva, deputy head of the <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2006/jun/30/favelasrising" title="Guardian: Brazil's cultural champions">campaigning musical collective Afro-Reggae</a>, he showed me a graphic video of police corruption and brutality in the city of Rio de Janeiro. The footage of <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8323589.stm" title="BBC: Rio police apology after killing ">his death</a> last week was aired on national television and has shocked the whole of Brazil.</p><p>Da Silva was killed during a street robbery in which two thieves stole his trainers and jacket. CCTV images show that the robbers were apprehended minutes later by two police officers, who must have also witnessed the shooting. Yet rather than arrest his killers, they took the trainers and jacket and then released them. The police made no attempt to save da Silva's life, and he died 50 minutes later.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2009/oct/26/brazil-shoot-outs-police-corruption">Continue reading...</a>BrazilWorld newsAmericasMon, 26 Oct 2009 19:00:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2009/oct/26/brazil-shoot-outs-police-corruptionConor Foley2009-10-26T19:00:00Z